Crossing The Streams

I love movie macguffins. In Ghostbusters, crossing the streams was the ultimate taboo for the characters to avoid when using their proton packs to catch ghosts. Egon was afraid doing so would cause a cellular chain reaction that could do untold harm. And yet, spoiler alert, it was the only way the boys were able to prevail against the enemy in the final climactic scene. They had to break the rules. They had to risk everything to win. They had to face their worst fears and go against conventional wisdom.This happens again and again in our favorite movies, especially those centered on Joseph Campbell’s teachings on the Hero’s Journey. In Return of the Jedi, Luke went against Master Yoda’s protestations in order to leave and save his friends. He finally drew his guidance from within. He finally trusted himself, despite the fact that he didn’t finish his training. This is individuation. And this, like crossing the streams in Ghostbusters, was the only way for the hero and the rebellion to succeed. It was the only thing the character couldn’t do and yet the only choice that would save all he held dear.In Richard Donner’s Superman from 1978, Superman found Lois dead in a car after an earthquake where he was too late to save her. His long-dead parents had sent along teachings about earth and how to make his way there. Chief among these rules was not meddling in the history and natural order on this new planet. But the hero chose differently. Enraged at her death, he chose love and risked his honor to do what his heart commanded. He turned back time to save his love.Star Trek had a great concept called the Prime Directive. This overarching rule reminded Starfleet officers to not meddle in the affairs of the people and planets they encountered. But in the real situations where these explorers found themselves, they faced situations with no easy answers. When this directive was violated, the violator might be tried in a court marshal. Under extraordinary circumstances, these choices were excused. Maybe they chose to save lives of those who didn’t know the rules. Situational ethics can be tricky. But the basic theme is the same: sometimes we just know what we have to do and the rules don’t or can’t apply. Conventional wisdom doesn’t get the last word. We take the ultimate risks for what really matters. when events corner us into the clarity brought on by necessity and conviction. Sometimes we just know what we have to do.So victory awaits beyond fear, beyond conformity. Self-assurance is a choice, a practice and often a threat to the sensibilities of internal voices and of those we esteem. Risk elicits fear, and yet these movies captivate us with moments where the stakes are so high that the characters must face their fears in order to protect and defend those in their charge. To do what must be done. So fear becomes the final gatekeeper to rites of passage that offer freedom, transcendence and power. Instead of viewing fear as a problem to be solved, we can see it as a compass, as a guide to the next stage of individuation. We can choose to not identify as the fear itself, but as the person experiencing it as a temporary condition or experience.However we choose to address fear, we can use these movies to remind us that the answers are sometimes counter-intuitive. When our logic hits a wall we must dig deeper to find the answers. Perhaps fear is the messenger that one of these seminal moments approaches. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit greenmang.substack.com/subscribe